This is Who We Are
by Steven Quartz Universe
Summary: Ruby and Sapphire are like siblings, bonded by their love and affection for each other. A conflict between a rebellion and the Diamond Authority creates war in Home World, putting Ruby and Sapphire at risk of being separated. When Rose Quartz appears, they find away to stay together forever. [One-shot]


It was a beautiful day on Home World, just like any other. New-born gems would grow within Incubators, similar to the Kindergartens that are planted on alien planets. Mature gems still in the stage of learning and growing would be sent to a school-like place. Others that aren't sent to an educational system would be sent to roam free and learn at their will.

Two small gems were like this, no educational system to go to. They were a small, hot-headed and brawny red gem and a small, thin blue gem that was slightly taller than the red. They didn't really have many friends, being labeled as puny and weak. This was also the reason why they weren't allowed into school. Everyone thought they wouldn't succeed in learning everything a gem needs to properly learn. Everyone thought they were too weak to even get sent off to the Training Center, which is like college, but insists of courses that teach a gem how to be prepared for when war inevitably arrives.

Despite all the harsh words and comments thrown about two the two gems, they still believed they could have a shot. They would walk around fields of emerald-green grass, taking in the happiness of having each other around; most of the time they would ignore rude things that were said about them all because they had the love and affection of each other.

These two gems were sisters, born with nearly the same properties as each other, both being a particular variety of a gemstone. Their names respectively were Ruby and Sapphire, Ruby being the inspirational leader type, Sapphire being the joy-and-peace-bringing type. Together, with their love for each other, they run around together, exploring Home World. They refuse to ever separate and leave one another. They made a vow to always stay by each others' side ever since they were made.

After running around together, playing and exploring, they decided to finally take a day of relaxation. Sapphire would sit under a gem tree while Ruby would set up a little picnic under the shade. Gems don't usually eat, but these two sometimes find relaxation in sitting down and enjoying a little snack together.

"This tastes great, Ruby!" the blue gem said after taking a bite out of a sandwich the red gem had made.

"It's only a sandwich. They're not that hard to make, y'know~!" the stout ruby responded.

"I don't care! You still made it, and it still tastes great!"

"Thanks, Sapphire…" Ruby took a bite out of her own sandwich, blushing a little bit. The blue gem responded with a little giggle before taking another bite.

Both gems quietly sat there, eating Ruby's sandwiches, taking in the peace and enjoying their relaxation. They didn't get up and leave after they finished eating their stacked snacks. After they finished enjoying their food, Ruby silently scoot over and sat by Sapphire's side, even leaning against her a little bit. The blue gem took notice and glanced at her favorite friend, giving off a smile. She hugged Ruby before leaning against her as well. Both of them enjoyed each others' presence.

They sat together silently for what seemed like hours before the sky started to become a pretty mixture of purple, dark blue, orange, and red. The mixture of familiar colors caused a smile to grow on the gems' faces. The sunset would always remind them how close they were to each other. They hoped things would stay like this forever.

###

Many years have passed since that beautiful day. Many gems' homes were demolished to make room for armies and their weapons to set up. Any underdeveloped gems that weren't sent to the educational system or gems that were too small and feeble, despite being sent to school, were taken to the Incubator to be destroyed and remade as a stronger gem. Howlites would be turned into Opals; Pearls would be turned into Peridots; Azurites would become Sodalites; and so on and so forth.

A large, well-known group called the Diamond Authority was once the name of the group that ran the Training Center. It is now the name of the army that rules over Home World. This place isn't what it used to be. To many of the gems that weren't sent to the army, the Diamond Authority had become corrupted and had tainted the peace that resided in Home World.

The tech gems had started creating these machines known as Red Eyes to scan and detect rebel gems on planets that weren't gem controlled. They had to create many of these, for a single gem had started to create a whole army, going against the things Home World did to defenseless planets with the Kindergartens. This rebelling army had upset the Diamond Authority, causing them to go into action.

Ruby and Sapphire were hiding for their lives, not wanting to be taken, destroyed, and turned into Spinels and Zircons. They knew that if they were caught, they would be separated. If they were destroyed and remade, they wouldn't have that connection anymore. They wouldn't be sisters anymore, and they may not be able to find each other again. Their personalities would be different, and all they would know about each other would be memories locked away deep inside their minds, hidden and buried by their lust for war and revenge against alien planets and the rebel army.

Ruby was curious as to what was going on. Despite Sapphire's pleas going against it, Ruby snuck out of their hiding place, cautiously, and went outside to see exactly what was going on. They knew some of what was happening, but they needed to see it all for themselves. The red gem, after stepping away from her hiding spot, gasped. There were large machines lining the ground. All of the machines had a yellow diamond insignia somewhere on them.

Sapphire quickly crawled out of the space they were hiding in partially to yank Ruby back in, but before she reached out her hand to grab the red gem, she was taken aback by the huge amounts of war weaponry. The blue gem gave off a quiet gasp soon before Ruby realized that Sapphire had followed her. She turned around and quickly pushed the blue gem back inside the hiding spot, going back in with her. "What are we going to do!?" Ruby asked, panicked.

The blue gem seemed to start panicking too, though not showing it due to her hair covering her eyes. "I don't know… But if they catch us…" Her voice trailed away she looked away from Ruby at a wall in the large metallic tube they were sitting in. "We need to find a way to leave this planet…"

The red gem looked at the slightly taller gem. "How are we gonna do that!?" she questioned loudly. "All the planets that we have access to are all gem controlled! We have nowhere to go without being caught!"

Sapphire began to think of a way they could escape to another planet that isn't gem controlled. "Well… I heard the rebellion is taking a stand to protect a non-gem controlled planet. We could escape to there!" the blue gem suggested. Ruby looked at her, a bit surprised at this suggestion, but nodded and agreed.

Cautiously, they both took a peek outside the tube, making sure no one from the Diamond Authority was nearby. Seeing the coast was clear, they both quickly trotted out of their hiding space and began to run. They didn't know where they were going, but they hoped to bump into anyone from the rebellion and hope they could join them.

It wasn't a bad idea to them, joining the rebellion, since they didn't really like what Home World does to other planets. They didn't think it was very fair, so, it was a win-win for them. After running for a little bit, they noticed in the distance a few gems fighting. The ones they recognized were from the Diamond Authority. They assumed the ones they didn't recognize were from the rebellion. It appeared their insignia was a star. Both the small gems hid behind something, a pillar, not wanting to interfere with the battle.

It seemed Ruby was the most intrigued, this being the first time she's seen an actual fight between two gems. Any other fight she's seen was either a glimpse of a demonstration for a class, training for Gems in the Training Center, or two young gems rough-housing.

Sapphire was entranced as well, but for a different reason. She noticed one of the rebel gems was quite big, with long, flowing pink hair. She wielded a sword, and, alongside a tall, slender white gem and a large pink feline, she fought against the gems that had attacked them. The large gem's majestic pink blade and a glowing pink shield looked so beautiful, swiftly blocking and attacking their foes. She fought like a warrior all while emitting a sense of peace and love.

A faint smile grew on Sapphire's face. Despite only barely seeing this pink gem in the midst of battle, she could feel a sense of hope flowing into her. She had a feeling this lovely gem was the leader of the rebellion. It didn't take long before the three had won the small little fight. The two smaller gems just kept looking at the three winners, amazed by their skill.

Just as they were about to go back behind the pillar, the large pink gem looked at them, noticing them. Ruby and Sapphire flinched, scared that she was going to attack them. Surprisingly, to them, the gem didn't attack. A look of curiosity grew upon the large gem's face and even a reassuring smile as she started to approach the two. The slim, white gem tried to convince her not to interact with 'strange Home World gems', as she puts it, and even went as far as to hold onto the pink gem's arm in an attempt to stop her.

The thin gem's attempts were futile as the pink gem ignored her and the pink feline pulled them back to let the largest do her job. Ruby and Sapphire appeared to be terrified, like lost puppies out on a cold street at night. They didn't run away, however, for they both could feel a sense of safety growing bigger as this gem drew closer. It seemed they even came out from behind the pillar a little bit, making sure to stay glued together.

The large gem kneeled down, still a bit too big to be exactly eye-level. She gave off a smile and said '_Hello_' to the two smaller gems, a sense of love and compassion filling her voice. Just hearing her voice was a wonderful sound. Hearing this gem's voice causes it to ring through your head, allowing you to hear the soft, velvety voice speak over and over. This was an unforgettable voice that was filled with an unconditional love for everything and everyone.

The smile that appeared on her face emitted a sense of joy and wonder. These wonderful feelings made the two small gems want to stay, stay here in her presence. Despite still being too nervous to say 'Hello' in return, they were happy she was here now. They both gave a nod in return, not saying a word.

The large pink gem introduced herself as '_Rose Quartz_', explaining how she had come here to Home World to rescue some gems that were "too weak" in the Diamond Authority's eyes. When Rose first saw Ruby and Sapphire, she had immediately known that these two were running away, trying to find safety. After explaining herself, Rose continued by asking the two small gems' names.

The red and blue gem looked at each other for a moment before looking back at Rose Quartz. After a small moment's hesitation, they quietly announced their names in turn. "My name is Ruby…" "Mine is Sapphire…" Rose gave off a cheerful grin.

"Those are wonderful…" Rose began. "You two have something special." The pink gem looked at both of them right in the eyes. "You both have a connection that no other gem could have with each other. You're like fire and water; so different yet so alike… You both have an inseparable bond… And being away from each other would mean living a life not worth living..."

There was a glimmer in Ruby's eyes, and Sapphire's gaping mouth indicated her entrancement. Both of them were filled with wonder, listening to Rose's words. It was as if she'd known them for their entire lives. She knew how close they were together, and that's what made a small smile appear on both of their faces. This gem knew them. This gem _understood_ them. It made their hearts fill with a warm, fuzzy feeling. They felt safe.

Rose stood up, looking down at them, a small smile still glued onto her face. She asked them if they would like to join her, if they would like to help her with her cause, and in return, she would help them find a way to stay together forever. The offer seemed like a no-brainer to Ruby. Sapphire, on the other hand, was speculative. Even though she trusted this new stranger, she was also nervous about accepting this offer. She didn't want to accept an offer she thought was good and then end up losing Ruby forever. Though, after a few moments of thinking and looking into the sincere face of Rose, she found she could trust her. This offer was one they shouldn't pass up. Sapphire looked at Ruby, and then both gave a nod to each other. "We… We wish to join you… Rose Quartz..!" Sapphire said, trying to put some pride into her voice.

Rose Quartz gave off a bigger smile. As a way of saying thank you, she gently led them out from behind the pillar and into the open space that they had fought the enemy gems in. After having Ruby and Sapphire sit down on the soft grass, she sat down in front of them and began to explain a concept known as 'fusing'. This was a new concept to Home World gems at this time, for barely anyone fused, and the two smaller gems hadn't ever gotten the chance to learn about fusion, due to the lack of proper education.

Rose explained to them how fusing is done; where the gems who wish to fuse would cooperate with each other, like a dance, and become one. She also explained how, if there is hatred or tension between the gems wishing to fuse, the fusion would become unstable, and any more tension could cause the new fused gem to easily unfuse. It was still a strange concept to the small gems, even after Rose explained it, but they understood it now.

After giving them a 'lesson' about fusing and how it works, she told them, "Your love is so strong; nothing could ever break your trust for each other. You both would be able to stay together forever by fusing into one. You'll always be by each others' side, and you'll get the chance to express even greater love to each other than before. You'll become an experience worth seeing and being."

Ruby and Sapphire looked at each other, taking in Rose's suggestion. They hadn't ever thought of this, even _after_ Rose's lesson. Both of them gave off a smile. It wasn't long before they began to rhythmically move with each other, music playing in each others' minds. They synchronized with each others' moves, even laughing a bit, enjoying themselves. After pulling off their finishing move, a large glow began to emit from both of their gems. They looked at their gems before they themselves began to emit a glowing white light.

Rose, the other gem, and the feline watched in awe as the two smaller gems began to grow taller and taller before a tall gem, _just_ smaller than Rose, was in the air. They stayed in the air for a few seconds before falling to the ground in a kneeling position. They stayed there for a moment before opening their eyes… Their _three_ eyes..! They blinked, looking at the soft grass right in their vision.

The fusion gem sat up on their knees, looking at the palms of their hands. In both of their hands was a single dark red gemstone that appeared to be garnets. They gave off a small smile, chuckling a little bit. _It worked!_ It actually _worked!_ They were a fusion! The gem stood up, now looking at Rose Quartz, thankfulness filling their eyes—No… _Her_ eyes!

The tall gem, wanting to hear her new voice, smiled. "_Thank you..!_" she said to Rose. Her voice had an accent to it. It was beautiful. The expression on Rose Quartz' face gave her a feeling of warmth. She was smiling, look at the new splendor that was Garnet, the newest Crystal Gem.


End file.
